


Wheels on the Bus

by WelcomeToTheBadlands



Series: painted stars and glass hearts [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Awkward Conversations, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Bullying, Drabble, F/M, First Crush, Fluff, Nerdiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-21 00:57:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20684846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WelcomeToTheBadlands/pseuds/WelcomeToTheBadlands
Summary: No one's watching us / don't give a fuck / Wheels on the BusRey and Ben sit on the bus together.





	Wheels on the Bus

**Author's Note:**

  * For [splintered_souls](https://archiveofourown.org/users/splintered_souls/gifts).

Ben Solo was famous for telling his family that he hated school, and getting brushed off. He would always hear his father say, "If you hate school, how come you have good grades in everything?" Because apparently struggling in school meant that all of your grades had to be failing too. 

Neither Leia nor Han seemed to get it. Both of them were popular at high school and had never been bullied. They probably never even witnessed bullying happening in their general vicinity. They didn't get that jocks like Armitage Hux made life hell for Ben. 

He almost stayed home most days because of him, until he remembered that there was a trip today and Hux and him were never assigned to the same bus because of their last names. It was like God decided to give Ben a reprieve. 

For one time Ben thought that he could take reprieve in the bus and just listen to music the entire time. Of course, Ben could never get such mercies. No one else was sitting by him as everyone filed into the bus. The usual racous of voices mingled together and threatened to give him a migraine. The bus door was about to close when an admin said, "Wait. Late student," 

*

Rey was usually on time, all the time. It's just how she was, but her bike had earned itself a flat tire today and every popular girl in her phone was so flaky that they couldn't come get her even though Rey knew the majority of people she texted were available. 

When she made it on the bus she was sweaty and was sure she did not look great. Some girl offered to let Rey sit on her lap but Rey said no, and she went and sat by the one kid in the class she didn't know. 

He was always around the school but Rey didn't even know his name. He didn't look very thrilled with Rey sitting next to him. She would change that if she could, but sadly she couldn't. "Hey," She said, "I'm Rey."

"I know," 

*

Ben internally cringed at that. Really? Do you have to sound like a creepy asshole like that? "I mean, I'm Ben. Sorry." Rey Niima had been voted the nicest girl in her class since middle school. Ben had never believed it. There was no way someone as beautiful as Rey Niima wasn't mean, that's just the way the world worked. 

They were now beginning their senior year of highschool and she had maintained that title. 

At first, when Ben spent a few minutes a day smiling to himself when he caught her zone off, or doodling in her notebook as their teacher taught something she wasn't interested in. He would feel his heart flutter, but it was so faint that he tried to ignore it. Over the years, Rey got prettier and it got harder to ignore. "Nice to meet you, Ben." Her smile made him feel a tug in his gut.

_ Come on, Ben. You can talk to girls.  _ The bus started to roll and Ben couldn't wait to get off this bus again. There was a long pause between the two of them before Rey said, "You know, I know you're in my English and Art class but I've never gotten a chance to talk to you. You always work by yourself, so...you should tell me more about yourself."

_ Why would she want to get to know me?  _ "I - I'm not that interesting." He was stuttering.  _ Fucking great.  _

"I doubt that," Rey said. "I think everyone has at least one little special thing about them. If it makes you feel better I can tell you something about myself first." Ben didn't object. He still couldn't process the fact that Rey was talking to him.

"Sure." 

"My favorite artist is Salvador Dali." Ben knew that. Rey always looked like she had been painting. Always. Because she always was. All the paintings she turned in had some form of surrealism in it that was reminiscent of the Spanish painter.

"Fan of surrealism?" 

"Yes. Definitely. I almost wish that it was his work instead of Monet's that we were going to see but I quite like him too." She stared at Ben expectantly. A full thirty seconds past before Ben realized she wanted him to say something.

"Oh, shit uh… something interesting about me," Rey snickered and Ben felt blush creeping up his cheeks. He readjusted his glasses. "Uh we recently adopted a cat who used to be in a cat fighting ring. His name's Kylo."

"Oh my goodness, really?"

"Yes." Ben said. Rey squealed, which earned a couple of looks. "You have got to show me a picture." 

Rey asked. 

So he showed her. She must've oohed and aahed at least five pictures, getting Ben's confidence up before his phone dinged and he got an airdrop from Hux's IPhone, he must've been in the car behind them. 

Rey saw the photo he sent and turned white before declining the photo from being downloaded to his phone and gave it back to him. 

That was a conversation killer.

They were almost halfway to the museum before Rey said, "I'm gonna kill that asshole."

"Why—"

"Because I feel like it," Rey said. 

"What was the photo he sent?" Ben hadn't seen it. He knew it was bad. He had gotten used to it by this point, and Ben grew accustomed by getting tortured by it daily. 

"It was a photo of self harm," When Ben didn't seem phased by this, Rey's expression darkened. "I am really going to kill him. I know his mother. I'm going to kill him,"

"You barely even know me, why you are mad?"

"I may not know you but that doesn't excuse bullying." As she says that she deflated a little. Ben thinks he feels a little too vulnerable now. 

"Do you want my number?"

"What?" He nearly died when she asked that. 

"My number."

_ She's going to give you a fake.  _

She gives her a number and he texts her. Her phone dings two seconds later.  _ Holy shit, she gave him her phone number.  _

He nearly pinches himself to wake up from this dream. He doesn't. They get there and Rey stays in his group as they start talking about rules before they go in. Rey looks bored, picking at a stray thread unravelling from her paint stained hoodie. She glanced over at him and smiled again. Ben was blushing so hard it was almost painful. 

As they started to walk around the first exhibit, Rey's fingers brushed against Ben's.  _ It was almost a cruel temptation.  _ Ben didn't know why she was still here. Maybe it was pity. 

No one ever did this for him.

_ Maybe she just likes you.  _

It was too much to ask, to ask that Rey liked him. She was way out of his league in both the friend and girlfriend department. 

He could only dream.

>   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
